That sound is probably one on the most ingrained sounds in American minds. Have you ever noticed in movies how most every gun from a bolt-action rifle to a single action revolver has that sound? There is no way to miss it, and it just cuts through anything to get your attention.
For true home defense, a sawed-off 12 gauge is the best protection you can have. Unless you have 30+ foot hallways you can’t miss stopping the bastard with one. Personally I’ve never understood why they were outlawed inmost places. They are worthless for an assassin, but if someone is on your turf, the reason why most people buy protection guns, nothing is better.
Handguns are effective when pointed accurately, but it is just too easy to miss, no matter how you are trained(unless you have shot an actual person before, I guess ). Buck-fever is bad enough, but I can’t even imagine the adrenaline pumping when some bastard comes into your house where your kids are sleeping.
Let me just say you are not paranoid. I just recently took a hunter safety course, and they were most adamant on things such as this. The gist was basically never rely solely on your safety or any other features along those lines (i.e… chamber loaded indicator) simply because they are a mechanical device and as such they can fail. Always check to see if the gun is loaded. I cannot stress this enough. It only takes a couple of seconds and it could save a life.
Other than that let me just say if you do buy a gun, taking a self defense course is highly recommended. Speaking from personal experience, running into somebody in the middle of the night when you are not expecting it is very frightening (i.e. heart about to leave via your throat frightening). It happened to me when I was 16. My parents were gone for the weekend and I was home alone. It was 1:30 am and I had just stepped out of my front door for a breath of fresh air, when looking over to my driveway I see somebody emerge from my carport and start too walk down towards the street quite nonchalantly. Did I mention we lived close to a bad part of town and we had been broken into twice in as many years? ( no one was home at the time thank god!). I had a can of mace in my pocket (for reasons stated above) and if this guy had made a run at me I know I wouldn’t have been able to get it out and ready before he got to me. I am 6’4" and about 275, so I can hold my own, but I was just like a deer in the headlights with shock. If it had been inside and I had a gun ( we have several ) I know would not have been able to hit him. Anyway to the point of this ramble, no matter how comfortable you feel with your gun, never assume that when the time comes to use it that it will be like at the range. I would strenuously say to get a dog or an alarm system, if not for the early warning factor alone (not to mention the fact that dogs are just enjoyable to be around). If you meet someone at the foot of your bed or when you are not expecting it, you are against some pretty big odds of coming out on top. It may be true that a thief would rather flee than get into a gun fight, but once he sees a gun, he will not hesitate to shoot back if he is likewise armed. I also have to agree with the other posters who recommend a shotgun. It carries a tremendous psychological effect, and when loaded with 00 buckshot, accuracy becomes a relative non-issue, and I’m sure that the person on the other end would realize that too. 
Whew, a bit longer than expected. That has got to be my longest post to date (not that there are that many to begin with mind you.)
Well, I see everyone on behaving nicely in here. I hope my comments earlier didn’t scare anyone away. I’m most certainly not “irked.” If this thread has to be moved, so be it; that’s just part of the job I signed on for.
As a dedicated firearm enthusiast, it warms my heart to see all the excellent advice and comments on gun safety. I see far too many supposedly knowledgable people treating firearms cavalierly. The gun club I belong to in Sylvania, Ohio allows the local police force to use the range on Wednesday nights. I avoid going on Wednesdays since the cops are some of the poorest gun handlers I’ve seen; they are downright dangerous and seem to have absolutely no respect for the power of the weapon. Oddly enough, or perhaps not so odd, they are also some of the poorest shooters at the club.
I also wish Glitch was around to comment on defensive shooting and self-defense in general. He was pretty sharp on this topic.
Once, I was assigned as firing range medic for a day (great duty by the way–sure beats putting up tents or KP). Anyway, it happened to be the day the officers were qualifying with their sidearms.
One guy is standing on the range with a loaded pistol in his hand. He reaches up and uses the pistol to scratch his head! That’s right, finger on the trigger, using the end of the barrel as a head-scratcher.
Even after I cautioned him I don’t think he realized just how close he was to blowing his own brains out.
(Now I’m pulling this thread toward MPSIMS. There’s no hope for me, I guess. :))
Oh, this thread is already in MPSIMS. Sometimes I’m so clever I outsmart myself. :rolleyes:
Quote from MikeG
**
My dad has a thing on his door that says, “This house is guarded by Smith and Wessen three nights a week. You guess which nights.” I think it’s pretty funny.
quote from Nukeman
**
That is so not true. I was awakened in the middle of the night by some guy breaking into my apartment and within about 5 seconds I had my gun in one hand and the phone in the other. My apartment at the time was a one bedroom studio and I could see the front door from my bed and it was dark except for a nightlight in the kitchen so I had the advantage. It’s amazing what adrenaline will do to you.
My compliments to the chef – this has turned into a really great thread.
[sidetrack]
Aenea, depending upon the make of the shotgun and the particular shell, the kick from the 12 guage should be comparable to the carbine. I’d like to know the combination of gun and ammunition that you used. I’ve shot all manner of shotgun and prefer the 12 guage. (The “Tim Taylor Syndrome”, I assume.) Without a doubt I’ll shoot a semi-auto such as the auto-5 whenever I can. Where regulations restrict the use of semi-autos I’ll actually prefer a bolt action to the pump and double barrel guns. The auto-5s are recoil operated. They MUST come back to work properly. Other varieties are gas operated. They seem to have quite a bit less recoil. Stay away from high-brass or all-brass shells. And unless you’re hunting deer, turkey, geese, or ducks there’s little reason to shoot magnums.
Regarding the barrel length, most barrels are manufactured with lengths from 28 to 32 inches. A hunting buddy that I’ve not seen in years managed to acquire a 12 guage barrel that was 42 inches, full choke (of course). Until then I’d never seen a shotgun barrel that long, and have never seen another one.
[/sidetrack]
Anthracite, 9-inch barrel? 9-inch barrel? Are you using the “man’s ruler” or standard measure? That puppy should have a heck of a recoil!
Good posts from the females!
I think it’s great when women become comfortable with guns. First off, a gun is the only true equalizer. Other types of self-defense can be helpful, and preventive measures are important, but the fact remains: for a woman under immediate attack, a gun is the only true equalizer. Second, gun-handling is a great confidence builder that carries over to all other parts of a woman’s life.
When I was married, my ex-wife was kind of anti-gun and I didn’t feel any particular need to own a gun myself, even though I was ex-military. But eventually we moved to the big city, and my ex started coming home with tales of getting hassled by homeless people and con artists. She wasn’t used to their various scams, and she tended to freeze up and not know what to do when confronted by strangers and potentially menacing situations. Finally I suggested that she learn to use a gun, not so much for self-protection but rather so she would get the extra self-confidence that weapons-handling provides and so that she would start thinking of herself as in charge of her own fate.
She went along with it, but she was scared silly by the exercise. The very first time she shot, we went to a commercial range and rented a little .380. She fired three shots with it and then put it down and went out to the car and cried for a while. But after a few visits to the range, she got into it enough that we eventually purchased a couple handguns and joined a club.
Our big gun was a .357 magnum, which is a versatile gun because it can fire both high-power .357 cartridges and the lighter .38 cartridges. She liked that gun a lot, firing mostly .38 cartridges with it. The people at the club were pretty friendly and we often tried out each other’s guns. She REALLY loved the big .44 magnums that some people had. Whenever she saw someone shooting a .44 on the line, she rushed down and asked if she could fire it.
We also eventually picked up a 12-gauge shotgun for trap shooting, and she got quite good at that as well. The shotgun was a little heavy for her, and she couldn’t hold it up in position forever, but she could swing it up, pick off a clay disk on the fly, and then drop it back down. She loved that and could do it for hours on end.
And it did make all the difference in the world in her confidence level. If she was alone in the house at night and there were noises, she knew what to do instead of cowering in fear in the bedroom. And even though we never carried any weapons on the streets, the city ceased to be a problem for her. She became accustomed to thinking of herself in control of whatever situation she was in, and she had no problem dealing with strangers and unfamiliar situations.
Same thing happened with my little sister. She moved to a borderline neighborhood in a nearby city and was pretty scared even when she was locked up safely in her apartment. My ex and I took her down to the range enough times for her to get good with guns, she purchased a small handgun for the home, and she became a lot more comfortable with city life in general. Eventually she even moved to New York City for a few years. (I don’t think she took the gun, given that guns are illegal in NYC.)
So I think guns are a good thing for women, and I’ve trained a number of female friends and family across the years. I’ve even taken some hard-core anti-gun liberals to the range. Usually everyone’s curious to try it out at least once, as long as they trust the person instructing them. And even when they’re not the least interested in owning a gun themselves, I think it’s a good thing for everyone to know the basics. Because if the need arises later in their lives, they can then make an informed choice as to whether or not they might want a gun in the home.
Dang it, I had a long post all typed in, and then I lost it. Grrr.
Anyway, in brief, I’d like to pipe in and say “give some consideration to Sig Sauer and the .357 SIG caliber.” I love my Sig Pro 2340, for which I purchased a second barrel, allowing me to shoot two calibers (.357 SIG and .40 S&W) just by changing the barrel. The gun I bought also came with SigLite night sights, meaning that the “dots” on the sights are actually little recessed cylinders filled with gaseous tritium. Thus, the sights give off a nice visible glow, even without being exposed to light first.
Other stuff I like about my Sig: comes with two handgrips (pick your size and comfort), almost-flush slide lock and decocking levers to prevent snags when drawing, and a very lightweight frame.
The .357 SIG cartridge is, in a word, wicked. Take a gander at this page for some info. Essentially, it’s a 9mm bullet with a .40 S&W-size powder charge behind it (yeah, I’m oversimplifying, so sue me). It’s comparable to .357 Magnum in penetration and velocity, and mighty accurate to boot. At present, it’s still a little expensive to shoot (about twice the cost of 9mm ammo), but that’ll change as the caliber becomes more common.
I had always suspected that you were a Very Cool Person, but you have indeed confirmed it here. 
SouthernStyle I used to go out skeet shooting a bit and target practising with some of my friends, and we would all swap shotguns and other guns around (ask me about the desert runs sometime).
This particular 12 gauge had the longest barrel I have ever seen. I could hardle hold it up away from the ground, and I’m not a weany. Other shotguns are not like this AFAIK. It left a big old bruise on my shoulder. My friends were not above doing things like “hey the girls are with us, let’s give them the really painful gun to shoot”. I shot it, cursed at them, gave it back, we all laughed and the day went on. My carbine never seemed too much, even with magnum rounds. I shot a possum once with it, it made a large hole going in and a really large one coming out. Hey, I was serious about looking for one of those (hint hint anyone) 
Come on Unclebeer, I ask you to give me one good reason other than gun control laws that you have such a high murder rate in America, or why massacres in schools happen so often in your country.
youve all just been brainwashed by the NRA
Sorry Nukeman, that isn’t the way it works. You are making unsubstantiated claims. Post some supporting evidence for your postion and I’ll be happy to refute it. You’ve made the bald assertions here, it’s your job to back them up. But like I said, that type of discourse is more proper in the Great Debates forum. Go ahead and start a topic over there with something a bit more specific and I’ll be along shortly to counter your arguments. It’s been a while since I’ve been heavily involved in a gun control debate here.
Hmmm, let’s see . . . I:
–Have never been to an NRA meeting
–Am not a member of the NRA
–Do not own a firearm
–Have never fired a handgun
–Have fired a shotgun once and a .22 rifle twice
Yeah, I’m “brainwashed.” :rolleyes:
In almost every really good thread that comes along does some dweeb (like koff Nukeman koff) have to show up at the tail end and show assholic behavior? :rolleyes:
Ya know, I haven’t been to a shooting range in years, but after reading this post the last few days, I feel the need to go again. I’ve even started to consider getting a pistol of my own. Isn’t the power of suggestion amazing?
aenea, I think Nukeman (interesting choice of names for a gun-control advocate) is merely another misinformed Brit. I find it ironic that someone who has so completely bought into the violent America portrayed in the British press is telling us were being brainwashed by the NRA. The last time I checked media sources have far more exposure to the general public than the NRA. It seems they might have a much better oppotunity to perform brainwashing than Charlton Heston does.
Hee hee! I hear that!
When my ex-wife and I broke up a couple years back, I dropped my membership at the club. My guns have been collecting dust for some time.
My current girlfriend has always been pretty much anti-gun, and that’s fine with me. And I keep the guns unloaded and locked up, and that’s fine with her.
But when my girlfriend and I moved in together last January, there was a little incident at her old apartment that caused her to take a little more interest in guns. During the move, after the furniture was out of her apartment, she was cleaning in the bedroom closet and she knocked up against the panel in there that leads to the water pipes for the bathroom. The panel fell off, and she saw a dusty old gun sitting in the recess. Her first impulse was to pick it up and take a closer look at it to make sure it really was a gun, but she didn’t want to touch the frame of the gun for fear of disturbing possible fingerprints. So she picked it up by the trigger and trigger guard. A closer examination didn’t really give her any more clues, so she put it down and waited for me to stop by.
When I came by, I determined that it was just one of those plastic air guns made to mimic a standard handgun very closely. I just broke it up and threw it in the trash–I assume the previous tenants’ kid just hid it there from the parents. But I gave my girlfriend hell about picking the gun up by the trigger. As far as I’m concerned that’s not a good place for a novice to grab an unfamiliar gun, fingerprints or not. And a week or two later I sat her down with my handguns and gave her a safety lesson on how to handle revolvers and semi-autos and make them safe.
And that’s the last we talked about it. But at the time of the lesson I did promise to give her more lessons in the future just to go over the same material and keep the learning fresh. And she did seem more interested in learning about guns at that time, especially after stumbling across one in her own apartment.
Now, after reading all these posts, I’m starting to feel like it’s time for another safety lesson, at the very least.
Well, UncleBeer, yes I am only 20, but my dad is hopefully goping to purchase it for me, so I will have it to use and practice with. That way when I am 21, I will be quite familiar with it. I turn 21 in may.
And thank you everybody for the advice, I still have some research, and I am going to ask around to see if someone has one of the guns I want so I can try it out im both calibers.
Something that hasn’t been mentioned…
With a handgun, be sure that you hold it with both hands. Don’t try to be some sort of Action-Hero hotshot. With any gun, and especially in crisis situations, you’ll want the extra control.
Second, with an automatic, make sure that your thumb knuckles aren’t in the way of the recoil chamber… once, I wasn’t so careful, and now I’ve got a pretty sweet scar on my left thumb knuckle. 'Course, I never did it again…
And, since I have to address it…
So, apparently, it’s worthless to even try. We should all surrender to the criminals in the world. ::insert Pit-worthy language here::
I’m with Unclebeer… if you wanna debate, go to GD. If you wanna be an ass, go to the Pit. If you want my advice, go away.